1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of identifying edge swipe gesture, and more particularly to a method of identifying edge swipe gesture and a method of opening window control bar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Touch pads or external touch pads of notebook computers serve as an alternative to a physical mouse device, and is basically equipped with functions for controlling cursor, left button and right button on the computer systems. To keep abreast of software development of manufacturers of computer systems, such touch pads start providing a control function over edge swipe gesture. For example, when computer systems initialize a hidden menu function of a window environment and users are allowed to perform the control over cursor, left button and right button, the menu bar is initially in a hidden state. Once the touch pads detect that users' gestures pertain to edge swipe gestures, the computer systems will automatically display the hidden menu bar on the screens for users to pick. Besides, functions of switching pages on screens can be supported in a similar fashion.
Microsoft® has already laid the groundwork for the rules of determining edge swipe gestures. However, due to low accuracy in determining the edge swipe gestures, the touch pads incorporating the determination rules are not handy in use. The reason is described as follows.
With reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B, based on operational habits of users, a front left portion and a front right portion of a notebook computer with respect to users are usually designed as the left button and the right button. Pressing the front left portion and the front right portion can perform the functions of the left button and the right button. As to the control over edge swipe gestures, bordering portions adjacent to the left side, the right side, and the top side of the touch pad are defined for edge swipe gestures to occur. With reference to FIG. 15, a touch device 10 capable of determining edge swipe gestures is configured with a bordering area W and a touch object-moving distance R, and a method of determining edge swipe gestures is performed under a touch mode. With reference to FIGS. 16A to 16D, when a finger moves inwards from outside the touch device 10 to firmly and sequentially touch a first sensing line to a third sensing line X1˜X3 of the touch device 10, a first sensing signal to a third sensing signal S1˜S3 are sequentially outputted as shown in FIG. 16E. The sensing values of the first sensing signal S1 to the third sensing signal S3 are greater than a sensing threshold dVth1 as shown in FIG. 16F. When the touch device 10 is determined by the touch mode for its sensing state, the first sensing line X1 in the bordering area W can sense the finger thereon, the finger can be sensed to sequentially move from the first sensing line to the third sensing line X1˜X3 in an inward direction, and the finger is sensed to actually move a distance greater than the preset touch object-moving distance R in a period of time. Accordingly, the rules of determining edge swipe gestures are met, and the movement of the finger is determined as an edge swipe gesture.
With reference to FIG. 14, the foregoing touch device 10 is combined with a case 20 of a notebook computer. If a top surface of the touch device 10 is not flush with a top surface of the case 20 and a finger swipes from the case 20 to the right side of the touch device 10 as shown in FIGS. 15, 17A and 17B, the finger is not firmly pressing the sensing lines when the finger is on the first sensing line X1 until the finger is on the second sensing line X2 and the third sensing line X3 as shown in FIGS. 17C and 17D. With reference to FIG. 17F, although the first sensing line X1 outputs a first sensing signal S1 having a non-zero sensing value, the sensing value of the first sensing signal S1 is lower than the sensing threshold dVth1 in the touch mode. As there is no touch object identified to be on the bordering area, the rules of determining edge swipe gestures are not satisfied and no edge swipe gesture can be identified. Similar situation takes place when an area of a finger touching the bordering area is small. Since the sensing value of the first sensing signal S1 outputted from the first sensing line X1 is lower than the sensing threshold dVth1, the finger's movement fails to be identified as an edge swipe gesture, and the hidden menu bar is unable to be displayed on the screen of a window environment.